Ryan: Boehner 'got Irish up' over groups' charges about budget plan

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- House Speaker John Boehner was just airing his frustrations when he blasted conservative groups about their reactions to a budget plan, Rep. Paul Ryan says.

In an interview scheduled to air Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Ryan, R-Wis., said Boehner, R-Ohio, "just kind of got his Irish up," The Hill reported Saturday.

"He was frustrated that these groups came out in opposition to our budget agreement before we reached a budget agreement," Ryan said.

Boehner charged groups such as Heritage Action for America and Americans for Prosperity had "lost all credibility" for criticizing a budget proposal they hadn't seen.

"I think they're pushing our members in places where they don't want to be," Boehner said.

Ryan was a bit more diplomatic. While he said he was "frustrated too," Ryan said the activist groups "are very important elements of our conservative family."

The budget plan passed the House Thursday 332-94, with 169 Republicans voting for it.

Boehner's comments drew applause from Washington business groups frustrated by the conservative groups' intransigence during the government shutdown.

"The business community has been uniformly frustrated at how strident the ideological groups have been in defiance of reason," said David French, senior vice president of government relations of the National Retail Federation.

One business group lobbyist charged "these 'purity for profit' groups are taking advantage of well-meaning but politically naive members."

The fact that business groups liked Boehner's comments "confirm conservatives' worst suspicions about Washington that the game is rigged," said Dan Holler, a spokesman for Heritage Action for America.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.